Outdoor light fixtures are utilized for a variety of purposes, such as spotlights or floodlights to illuminate a chosen area or to accent a building or some other structure. For example, outdoor light fixtures are used around houses to shine generally on the front facade of the house and thereby accent the architectural features of the house. Outdoor lights are also utilized at the base of trees, flagpoles and other environmental structures, to illuminate and accent the structures for decorative purposes. Such lights are also utilized to illuminate a remote area for the purposes of safety.
Outdoor light fixtures are exposed to the environment and therefore are generally constructed to withstand moisture, such as dew, rain or water from a sprinkler system. The construction of an outdoor light fixture generally comprises a partially dosed housing, open at one end, which is coupled to an adjustable support. The housing holds a lamp bulb which shines a beam out of the open end of the housing onto the illuminated structure. The housing may be adjusted angularly on the support such that the beam strikes the structure at a chosen angle. A transparent glass lens is usually placed over the open end of the housing to dose and seal the housing such that water and moisture cannot enter and affect the operation of the lamp. While available light structures are sufficiently sealed to keep water from entering, they do not address problems associated with the accumulation of water on the outside of the housing, and especially the accumulation of water on the lens.
Light fixtures which are utilized to illuminate a tall house, a tree, or a flagpole are usually positioned at the base of the structure and are pointed almost directly upwardly to cast a beam along a portion of the height of the structure. When the fixture is pointed straight up, the lens and open end of the housing are generally horizontally disposed and will collect dew, rainwater or water from sprinklers. The water generally accumulates on and around the lens and will eventually evaporate due to the heat of the lens caused by the lamp beam. As may be appreciated, water accumulating on the lens creates a greater risk of penetration into the inside of the light fixture because it will not evaporate immediately. However, the primary concern is blockage of the beam by the accumulated water. Dew, rain water and tap water, contain suspended minerals and dirt, and upon the eventual evaporation of water, the mineral and dirt deposits are left as film on the lens. The mineral deposits and dirt cover the transparent lens and thus attenuate the strength of the lamp beam passing therethrough. Therefore, lenses of outdoor light fixtures require continual maintenance and cleaning to ensure proper lighting and operation of the fixtures.
Attempts have been made to utilize convex-shaped lenses which have face surfaces curving outwardly from the fixture housing open end. While a convex lens may drain some of the water away from the lens and prevent some deposits thereon, a portion of the lens will usually accumulate water and be obstructed. Furthermore, the accumulation of water may be such that the convex lens surface is completely submerged in the accumulated water. Additionally, convex-shaped glass lenses are usually made of pressed glass which is substantially more expensive than fiat plate glass lenses and thus substantially drives up the cost of the fixtures. Therefore, it is one objective of the present invention to prevent the accumulation of water on the light fixture lens and to thereby prevent deposits of mineral and dirt thereon. It is another objective of the present invention to provide an unobstructed lamp beam which shines on the chosen structure to be illuminated. Still further, it is an objective to prevent the deposit of minerals and dirt even when inexpensive, fiat plate glass lenses are utilized with the light fixture.
While some available outdoor light fixtures are adequately sealed to prevent the entry of water and moisture to the inside of the fixture, many utilize fiat gaskets as sealing structures. The fiat gaskets are pressed between a housing surface and a surface of some other element, such as the lens or another fixture element. The components are then secured together and tightened to compress the fiat gasket and provide a seal of the fixture. However, because the seal is determined by the tightness of the components, persons assembling the fixtures are subject to over tightening various pieces. The gaskets are often over-compressed, thus jeopardizing their construction and operation. The sealing structures of available fixtures are also susceptible to being over-tightened to the point of crushing the gasket such that it will not provide proper sealing. Alternatively, the sealing gasket may not be compressed enough, thus compromising the sealing of the light fixture housing. Therefore, it is another objective of the present invention to properly seal a light fixture whereupon all of the seals of the fixture are consistently and properly tightened to provide proper sealing.
Outdoor light fixtures are often utilized with glare shields which are placed around the open end of the housing next to the lens. The glare shields deflect a portion of the lamp beam and focus the beam to further illuminate a selected portion of an illuminated structure. Conventional glare shields, however, must be specially attached during construction of the fixture or must be subsequently fixed to the fixture with separate fastening structures. This makes field-retrofitting of an existing light fixture difficult because extra pieces are necessary and are subject to being misplaced or not readily available. Furthermore, the additional parts increase the cost of the fixture. Since glare shields surround the open end of the fixture of the lens, they also have a tendency to increase the accumulation of water on the lens. Accordingly, it is another objective of the present invention to provide a light fixture with a glare shield which may be quickly and readily attached without additional fastening parts or complicated procedures. It is further an objective to prevent the accumulation of water on the lens of the light fixture even when a glare shield has been attached thereto.